Avengers ABCs - Brutasha Style
by DisneyOTPFanatic
Summary: Twenty-six shippy little peeks into the day-to-day love life of Dr. Bruce Banner and Agent Natasha Romanoff.
1. Chapter 1: Available

A/N: hey guys! Don't worry, I haven't abandoned Forced Progression. I've just got a bit of writer's block and I'm using this fic to sort of give my brain an easier project to work on. Enjoy!

A: Available

Bruce Banner had never been one for parties. He had always been the type to prefer reading a lengthy book in the comfort of his own home, surrounded by a comfortable silence that was broken only by the sound of him occasionally turning a page.

But Tony Stark was his best friend, and had been for a while now. So when Tony practically begged Bruce to be his plus-one at what he called the "social event of the year", he was morally obligated to agree. His initial response was a question as to why Pepper couldn't just go with him instead, but Tony had informed him that his fiancé had wedding plans to attend to that had her busy all day. Tony had also added that that was part of why he wanted to go to the event so badly, he was about to lose his marbles not being allowed to help her with it. But Pepper had already discussed this topic with Bruce. As much as she loved Tony, he could be unpredictable. The last thing she needed was to enter the ceremony for her walk down the aisle, to find half the guests in makeshift Iron Man masks and a giant ice sculpture of the Mark 45 suit next to the punchbowl at the reception.

It also helped that a certain someone was out of the country on a mission at the time Tony asked Bruce about going with him. Tony knew Bruce was significantly less busy when she was away, and took it upon himself to give the bookish scientist something fun to do in her absence. Bruce knew what Tony was doing, though. But he couldn't say he minded. He missed her a lot when she was gone, and it was nice to have a little distraction here and there… even if that distraction involved a ton of people.

So there Bruce was in a black tux on a Friday night, seated at one of the many round tables covered by a blindingly white tablecloth, sipping a glass of wine while Tony mingled with the hundreds of other guests under the large white tent. Everyone was dressed to the nines, the sequins and diamonds Bruce saw reflecting the warm glow of the fake candles on each table. The grass below his feet was neatly trimmed, the subtle scent of nature barely detectable through the haze of perfumes and colognes. Bruce let out a short sigh as he glanced out past the chattering guests and crowded tables at the darkness outside the tent. Since the tent had no walls, some of the guests had trickled out from under it and were mingling beneath the stars, the random flashes of cell phone cameras even brighter out there. He was thankful Tony had reserved his own table, so there were only two other people seated with Bruce. But they seemed more interested in each other than him… and Bruce was perfectly fine with that.

He had to admit, Tony had been right. This was the social event of the year… If you were into taking photos with strangers all night for PR purposes. At least, that was what it seemed everyone else was there to do. All the conversations Bruce overheard sounded stunted and awkward, as if all parties involved couldn't wait to take their picture and move on, only making small talk to be polite. They didn't truly care about how your wife was, or if your son or daughter was doing okay in school. They were only killing time before they could ask for a photo.

But Bruce wasn't there for that reason, and that meant he was perfectly content staying out of people's conversations and becoming just another face in the crowd. Glancing back towards the outside, he politely stopped a waiter as he came by, refilled his glass of wine, and made a calm beeline for the least populated area outside the tent.

Once the hum of conversation had dwindled behind him, Bruce allowed himself to sigh audibly. Not out of irritation or discomfort, but rather out of relief as he was afforded a calming view of the night sky. He had gotten much better at being in crowds over the years, but he still preferred his solitude. There was an irreplaceable peace in it that he wouldn't trade for anything on earth… or anywhere else for that matter.

"Hey, Banner!" Tony called as he walked towards him, carrying his own glass of wine. But from the way his walk was just a little off kilter, Bruce could tell that that glass wasn't Tony's first… or second. "Had to get out of there too, huh? Yeah those walking ads for starch can get to ya. Surprised the Big Guy didn't make an appearance."

"Hulk isn't one for parties. And besides, I think it was the cloud of perfume that got to me. I started to feel lightheaded." Bruce chuckled as Tony took a long sip of his wine.

"You sure that wasn't just the wine, buddy?" Tony smirked, nudging him. "They've upgraded to stronger stuff since last year."

"Positive." Bruce said, rolling his eyes before returning his gaze to the sky. They stood silently for a few moments before Bruce spoke again. "So where were you all night?"

"Oh… you know." Tony grunted, swirling the red liquid around in his glass. "Taking pictures, kissing butts. The usual. Got invited to another party."

"Isn't that in bad taste? Inviting someone to a party when you're already at one? Or do I just not know party etiquette?"

"Little bit of both, but most of the time these people just don't care." Tony shrugged. "For example, I ran into Senator John Johnson, otherwise known as 'the man with the world's worst name'."

Bruce chuckled at that.

"What did he say?"

"We were just… reminiscing about the good old days." Tony said, downing the last of his drink. "He knew my dad so he tended to stop by his job every once in a while to talk business and say hi… anyway, Senator Johnson mentioned he's throwing a little get together next Thursday at his place in celebration of his youngest son participating in the next Stark Expo."

"I thought you shut the Expo down." Bruce blinked, turning to look at him.

"I did but…" he let out a short sigh. "Pepper always thought it was a good idea. Bring in fresh opinions and everything."

"Well, it's not the worst idea. And it did do a lot of good when your dad started it up." Bruce shrugged, running a hand through his graying curls.

"Yeah, I know. Pep's hoping that keeping it sorta low-key will stop people from thinking it's all about my ego. Like everything else I do." Tony chuckled. "Anyway, since I hate going stag, as you know… and Pepper will probably be out of commission again… hey, I'll take one of those."

Bruce blinked, then followed Tony's line of sight to a waiter coming up behind him with a tray of more wine. He watched Tony take a glass and slip a few bills in the man's jacket pocket.

"You sure you should be drinking that? Whenever you get drunk, things go… awry." Bruce raised an eyebrow.

"You pee in a weaponized suit one time and suddenly everybody has a problem with you drinking…" Tony grumbled, rolling his eyes as he sipped. "But come on, Bruce, are you coming with me to this other party or what?"

Bruce sighed and opened his mouth to respond, but stopped when he felt his pocket vibrate.

"Hold on a sec." He said, putting up a finger to put Tony on pause.

"Yeah, sure." Tony scoffed, taking a long sip from the glass, his stance teetering a bit before he caught himself and stared into his glass. Maybe this really should be his last one.

Bruce pulled his phone out of his pocket, his heart leaping a bit when he saw the notification on the screen.

**SMS Received:**

**ETA 8pm Mon night, don't wait up for me x**

"Yeah… um… about next week…" Bruce trailed off, the corner of his mouth twitching upward into a boyish grin at the thought of he and a certain redheaded assassin spending an indefinite amount of time in his suite at Avengers Tower as soon as she got back.

"I know that smile." Tony laughed and rolled his eyes, nudging Bruce's shoulder. "If that stupid grin means what I think it means, I think I'll take a rain check."

"Yeah… if Natasha has anything to say about it, I don't think I'll be available."

A/N: it's cute, it's short, it's cringey. Hope you liked it! There's more coming! Feel free to drop letter suggestions in the reviews!


	2. Chapter 2: Blind

B: Blind

It took Bruce a long time to realize Natasha was interested with him. Much longer than he was comfortable with admitting. But he was always convinced that nothing could ever happen between them, even though he knew he had feelings for her. He doubted that someone like her could ever have feelings for somebody like him. He wasn't remotely what he assumed her type to be. He was a scientist, avoiding confrontations because he knew that when it came down to it and his anger got the best of him, he would both win and lose at the same time. And Natasha was a former assassin. She tended to thrive on confrontation, because she knew she would come out on top.

Maybe it was his doubts and reservations that caused him to go blind to what everyone on the team had already noticed between the two of them.

Steve had noticed her sudden changes when it came to their group conversations. Natasha was usually one to simply toss her contributions into a discussion, not necessarily directing it towards anyone in particular. But more recent group conversations saw a rise in her purposely directing the occasional question or comment towards Bruce, often catching him so off guard that he'd fumble through a response before asking what exactly they were talking about. It seemed that Natasha even enjoyed having to fill him in.

Tony had noticed how much time she and Bruce were spending together. Most people wouldn't think much of it at first, but Tony realized something was up when it became routine that if you were looking for Bruce or Natasha, whenever you eventually found them, you would find both of them. Whether it was up in the lab or down in the common area, they were nearly inseparable. Most times in the lab, Bruce would be furiously working through some equation or process, while Natasha would simply be sitting a few feet away, doing her own thing on her laptop. If they were in the common area, some old movie would be on. Natasha would be asleep curled up in the loveseat off to the left of the main couch, while Bruce sat on that couch and occasionally glanced over at her sleeping form. Tony also noticed that whenever they were together like this, they didn't do much talking. He guessed it was about being near each other, which he never understood. Why hang out with someone if neither of you talk the entire time?

Clint noticed how Natasha became more 'soft' when it came to Bruce. Having been her best friend for a number of years, Clint had seen every side of her, including the ones she only used to complete a mission. The only side he rarely saw was her soft side. He had only ever seen that light in her eyes and heard that gentle lift in her voice when she was around his adorable kids. Never around another adult… except for Bruce. He'd seen the way she interacted with him... placing a hand on his arm to get his attention, playfully nudging him at times, and sometimes even just giving him this look that was usually accompanied by her face turning a light shade of pink, before she looked away and schooled her features back to normal.

Thor had put the pieces together a split second later than anybody else, but that was only because he didn't spend as much time at Avengers Tower as the rest of the team did. Even so, as the god of Thunder, it didn't take much longer than an hour or two in both Bruce and Natasha's presence to feel the "spark" of attraction between them. It was evident, and nearly tangible.

And even with all these obvious hints and clues, Bruce was still in denial that Natasha could ever see him as anything more than a teammate. She was fire where he was ice. She was the sharp crack of lightning when he was the dull roar of thunder. Why would anyone as amazing as Natasha Romanoff want him?

"Hey, big guy."

Bruce nearly jumped out of his skin as her voice reached his ears. He spun around in his lab chair, his cheeks burning as his eyes met hers. She was standing in the doorway of the lab, her arms crossed over her chest. It took him a minute, but he eventually realized that the sweater she wore was very familiar.

"Go Caltech Beavers, huh?" He chuckled, a bit uneasy, closing down his laptop as she walked over to him. "Where'd you find that?"

"Oh, you know, Tony said JARVIS mixed up our laundry." She shrugged, taking a seat on his desk and flipping through one of the folders next to her hip.

"JARVIS… mixed up our laundry? I find that hard to believe." Bruce blinked, taking off his glasses and cleaning them with this jacket sleeve. "He's a highly sophisticated piece of AI software, Tony shouldn't even be having him do laundry to begin with. Maybe he needs his system scanned…"

Natasha rolled her eyes, setting the folder back down and crossing her legs.

"I wasn't serious. JARVIS didn't mix up anything, don't worry. You and Tony's brain child is fine."

"Then where did…?"

"Stole it. From your room." She stated nonchalantly.

Bruce's face felt very hot all of a sudden. Why would she go in his room to begin with? And why steal a sweater from his college days? His palms began to sweat, and he stood suddenly to busy himself with organizing the forms on his desk, taking special care to avoid accidentally brushing her leg as he worked.

"Okay… were you cold?"

"No."

"...Didn't have any of your own sweaters?"

"What, you don't like me borrowing your stuff? Not my fault your sweaters are more comfortable than mine." She rolled her eyes, a small laugh in her voice.

Natasha's answers were making his mind go to a place he was convinced he didn't need to explore. But he couldn't stop himself. The mental image of her in his clothes had his heart going a million miles an hour, and now actually seeing her in them had thrown his imagination into overdrive.

"No, I didn't say that… I just, um… I can't imagine why else you would...um… borrow my sweater."

He hadn't realized how close he had moved in his frantic cleaning, and when he finally looked at her, their gazes met and locked. She had moved closer as well, her head tilted slightly as she spoke.

"Maybe during a mission a few years ago, I just so happened to find out how much I like sweaters that are just a little bit big on me," she paused strategically to notice the way Bruce's gaze nervously flickered to her lips, and she leaned in a bit further as she lowered her voice. "...and since Stark's hoodies always smell like motor oil... and he would probably kill me if I took one, maybe I decided to borrow one of yours."

Bruce watched her suddenly lean back into her sitting position on the desk, her legs still crossed.

"If that's alright with you, Dr. Banner."

"I um… it just… I-I don't know if you're aware b-but… t-the connotation of you… wearing that… is...uh…" Bruce's mouth went dry, his tongue useless. He trailed off, unable to organize a single rational thought at that moment.

"I… Natasha I-"

"Is that Banner's gross college sweater?"

Bruce's gaze whipped to the door, where Tony had entered the lab carrying a large box of what looked like a bunch of tools.

"MIT all the way, baby." Tony laughed, smirking as he noticed how quickly Bruce jumped away from Natasha, his face beet red.

Bruce rubbed the back of his neck, trying to think of something to say. Had Tony noticed anything? And if so, what had he seen? What had even just happened?

"Not everybody is a diehard MIT fanboy, Stark. Caltech is good too." Natasha smirked, seemingly unfazed by Tony's interruption.

"I'm just saying, you see how I turned out."

"Exactly. That's how you know MIT is flawed. It helped create you." Natasha rolled her eyes, sliding off of the desk.

"Ouch, Romanoff." He laughed, setting down the box on his own desk and grasping at his chest where his arc reactor was. "Hit me right in the tech."

Natasha laughed, then gathered up the folder she had been rifling through and started towards the door.

"I've gotta report some numbers to Fury, try not to create yet another problem for the Avengers to solve while I'm gone. Oh and Bruce?"

"Huh?" Bruce blinked at her, still tongue-tied.

"I'm keeping the sweater."

Bruce just smiled nervously, a single nod in her direction being all he could manage.

"See ya, Romanoff." Tony threw over his shoulder as he dug through his box.

The door slid shut behind her, and Bruce let out a long sigh, walking over to Tony and plopping down into his chair.

"Tony?"

"Yeah?"

"...What just happened?"

"What, between me and Romanoff? Oh, the usual banter. You should know. You've seen it a million times." Tony thought for a second, then grinned and handed Bruce a biomechanical component from the box. Bruce looked it over as Tony continued. "Ohhhh you mean between you and Romanoff."

Bruce nodded, rolling his eyes as he set the component on the desk.

"What do you mean 'what just happened?'" Tony laughed.

"I mean...what just happened? She comes in wearing my sweater, that she stole from my room. And then, before you showed up, she tells me that she likes wearing my stuff! Is this a regular thing? And why would she say that anyway?" Bruce covered his face with his hands, sighing deeply.

Tony paused in his rifling through the box, staring at his conflicted best friend. A realization dawned on him, and he laughed and patted Bruce on the shoulder.

"You really have no idea, huh?"

Bruce shook his head no, dropping his hands to his lap.

"The only explanation I could come up with doesn't even make any sense."

"Well how about this one? She stole your sweater because she likes you, or rather, likes the way you smell. Pepper does it all the time."

"...likes the way I smell...?" Bruce blinked, his brow knitted in confusion. "Why-?"

"Romanoff has been flirting with you, Bruce. For months." Tony cut in. "She likes you. You haven't seen it?"

"I don't know, Tony...I just…"

"Are you really that blind?"

Bruce felt his face burn as he allowed himself to go over every interaction he'd had with Natasha over the past several months, and finally saw exactly what Tony was talking about. The way her tone changed when they spoke...the way she always seemed to find him wherever he was in the Tower...the way she would end up watching his movies with him, only to fall asleep 15 minutes into it… the way her eyes lit up whenever he made her laugh...

"...Apparently I am that blind." He said finally, a weak smile on his lips. He stood from the chair, rubbing the back of his neck nervously. "Uh...Are you okay here Tony? I think… I think I should go for a walk. Clear my head."

Tony glanced at him, chuckling softly. He could practically see the excitement buzzing inside his best friend, and knew that he wouldn't be of any use stuck in the lab with him, going through an old box of parts for his next suit. It was also clear that Bruce was definitely going to walk… straight to wherever Natasha had wandered off to.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Go find your Rose, Jack." He laughed.

Bruce didn't even try to correct him.

A/N: mmmmmmm idk if I like this one or not, I got kinda confused halfway through it lol review please!


End file.
